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HITTING A BASEBALL
1. Become fearless and never take your eye off the ball!
Hitting starts in the on-deck circle, where you must convince yourself that their pitcher isn’t God. Whatever you do up there, you can never take your eye off the ball. Your eyes and the ball must be like magnets. This skill is as important to learn for hitters as throwing strikes is for pitchers.
2. When you grip the bat, line up the middle knuckles of each hand.
The knuckles you use here are the ones you use to knock on a door.
3. Keep your hands back and away from your body while keeping the elbow of your top hand up.
Ted Williams was a big believer in keeping the elbow of your top hand up when starting your swing. He said, “the higher the better." To hit the ball hard, the hands have to be back. The more the hands move forward, the less able you are to hit the ball with any force.
4. Swing the bat with authority, but learn to bunt.
When you take a cut take, make it a cut that has some real drive to it. In other words, don’t get cheated. Take your rips. But also remember: Good hitters are good bunters, period. When it’s time to play “small ball” knowing how to bunt effectively is absolutely essential. (see the hitting video for instruction on this).
5. Protect the plate with your bat.
Make sure your bat covers all of the plate when you stand in the batter's box to insure you can make contact with any ball in the strike zone.
6. Pick your pitch, and when you get it, rip it fair.
Learn to discipline yourself to hit only pitches that have a chance to be hit fair. Pick the pitch you want. I know about the temptation to rip a pitch you see well, but if you can only pull it foul, this is wasted energy. For all this faux flexing it still costs you a strike, which is never good. Learn to be more disciplined.
7. Put the ball in play.
You always have a chance to be on base, or move a runner, if you put the ball in play. Along with the pitcher, make the fielders work to get you out!
8. Disdain pitches.
Sneer at pitches. Your attitude should be this junk just isn’t going to get me out.
9. Respect pitchers.
Always respect the man on the mound. He’ pitching for a reason
But be patient enough to hit their mistakes. Like Chili Davis said after going 3 for 3 off Doc Gooden, “He ain’t God, is he?”
10. Concentrate
This is where it starts and ends.
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